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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 01 BLM Forest Lands AGENDA ITEM. SUMMARY Meeting Date: Meeting Type: Department: Staff Contact: Staff Phone No: Estimated Time: September 24,2007 Work Session City Manager's 9ffice Jeff Towery ~. \ 3627 ../ 30 Minutes SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL ITEM TITLE: BLM FOREST LANDS ACTION REQUESTED: Consider a resolution in support of sustainable forest management practices on forest lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). ISSUE STATEMENT: The BLM is proposing to revise existing plans to replace the Northwest Forest Plan land use allocations and management direction. Four alternatives (including a No Action Alternative) have been proposed and are currently under review and comment. The comment period is open until November 9,2007. Anna Morrison, on behalf of Citizens for Sustainable Forests and Communities, will make a presentation (about IO minutes) about the options and be available for questions. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment I: Model Resolution Attachment 2: Citizens for Sustainable Forests and Communities Brochure Attachment 3: Overview of Oregon & California Lands Act of 193 7 DISCUSSIONI FINANCIAL IMPACT: None. t\\\1.ens lot susta\nab\e fotests , tommum Many roral Oregon communities are strnggling to fund vital community services and programs, such as schools, libraries, and drug enforcement efforts. But it doesn't have to be that way. These very same communities are situated in some of the nation's most abundant resource basins, which, if utilized in a sustainable manner, could provide abundant t"tnancial support for critical, but struggling programs. Oregon contains some of the best resource lands in the country. With 17 million acres of forest lands (330/0 of the total land base) owned by the government, rural Oregon has found itself in a never-ending difficult economic situation because: .. The government does not pay Oregon any property taxes for these 17 million acres of land.. . and the citizens of Oregon are left footing the bill. I For decades, a portion of the receipts generated by these public lands went to local communities to help pay for community services and education. S In the past 15 years, pressure from political activists has drastically reduced the management of public forest lands. This in turn has greatly reduced the funding local communities receive. ,...... .. Millions of acres of these important public forest lands, key waterways and critical wildlife habitat have burned in catastrophic wildftres in recent years because of poor management while rural communities have been forced to curtail vital community programs. Help protect our forests and . support our communities. Join CSFC at www.citizensforforestS.org - P.O. Box 2118 Wilsonville, Oregon 97070 Ph: 877-670-8800 www.citizensforforests.or' ~-. ., = IIr ~- j';'~~ '1t1J) ill] ~ ~ We can have sustainable forest management that protects watersheds, wildlife habitat and provides for communities - ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Stringent forest protection laws already require: .. Immediate replanting of trees after harvest I Buffer zones around rivers and streams to protect fish and other aquatic wildlife , Protection of wildlife habitats and threatened & endangered species .. Strict limitations on the size of harvest areas SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS TO THE BUREAU OF lAND MANAGEMENT The Bureau of land Management (BIM) is revising its management plans for 2.5 million acres of public forests. The BLM recently released the draft Regional Management Plan and Environmental Impact Study, which outline possible alternatives and the benefits and consequences of those alternatives. .We need your help to support responsible management of our public forests. It is critical that we let the BLM know how important sustainable forest management is to the future of our communities. Visit our website for a simple online comment tool that will allow you to submit your thoughts directly to the BLM, www.CitizensForForests.org. CSFC's goal is to empower you to have your opinions heard. To assist concerned citizens with formulating their comments, we have developed a number of points that we must make the BLM aware of: I Of the three alternatives being considered by the BLM, alternative 2 is the best management approach to meet the immediate funding needs of local counties, while simultaneously protecting our environment. , Timber sale revenues should generate at least as much revenue on a yearly basis as was provided through the county payments program. , All BLM administered land should be managed to minimize the threat of catastrophic wildfire on these lands and surrounding state and private lands. , Access should be maintained through BLM administered lands for private land access and fITe suppression, as well as recreational uses. I BLM should consider active management for the protection and recovery of listed and sensitive species and their habitat before adopting passive, reserve strategies. , The BLM should only allocate land for recovery of listed species when the land is large enough to make a significant contribution to recovery efforts. , The amount of land allocated to generating revenues to the counties should be at least 50% of the land administered by the BLM. ATTACHMENT 2 - PAGE 2 ~1lJ ~ .. In 1953, the O&;C caunties gfferedtoreturn one- III third oftheir shgre (*5 percent of tatal timber r~ceipts) t<:)theFederalc:;ove.~l}mentJor the deyelap~entandmanagem~l1bgfthe 0&<:: lands. Alsa inJ953t Gongressgmended the O&CLands Actta allgw far the creatian .of this "plawbacl<'k fund. )g ml;r"'/;?~ <I~ ;p&1,~,k1,1w ".'~~. ~" Ili... ,,?/!J!C ...~" ,'-"Ir'" "~" " " ""'.' .... "i,; _,1#1", ,', ~ .Ii!! ';O~VE~ 'C ~, If:~F THE. aRECO N ~ ;"""li" '9! 'ff!.~#1.'f,.' .~.~.!{;jfl.,.w;'~~ .,111 ".... "'fJi.~ $i"'~ ~ i "Th If'J*~, ~"iW""'.~ ~E' j." ";~' '~ii&* · 'A~:'~~~~Jier~~A J(f&C) ~,~,L'ilNJjJS:il'G~'f~ ,,0 f~193.:J ~ ;' t l' .~' · :" " ~. l !f,"' . '. ". - .. ." . :. . · i866, <::dhgf;~~ ?~t5.blishe4J l~ttdgrant ta pramatetherapjd~campietian .of the Oregan and :~a1ifa~mia Railraad betWe~n I?cfrt~a.pd, O:regal} and San Frandsca,,,,<::alifatnia. . .. ~i 'Ihic'19l9t ~angresst()ol<,back~J~e!it1eon abaut,2.9 millian acres f the land deeded tatherailroaa. after the camp any vialated the erms()fth~grant. In 1919, Gangress revesteq.about 93,000 acres f <::aosB~yWaggnRaadlands du~4aqiI1:lila:r circumstances. 1p 1937, Ca;ngress passe9 Th~ O&CLands Act (Public Law 75- 05), putting the lands underthejurisdicti.an .of the Department .of e Interiar. The 0&<:: Lands Actpravided far: permanent farest roduction; pratectian .of watersheds and regulatian .of stream flaw; cantribution taward.the econamic stability .of localcammul1ities and timber industry; creation afrecreatianaLfacilities;9pd provisians far reimbursing the 0&<:: caunties the loss .of tax revenues fram the O&Glands. · The 0&<:: Lands Actpravided far an initial Allawable Sale Quantity (ASQ) afnat less than 500 millia!l,board feet (MMBF) aftimberuntil the arnu,alpra9uctive.c~pability .of the lands cauld be determjned. THe decIare9 ASQ far the'(Bu,l"eau at Land Managemeflt)O~C .lands has changed aver thlie.fram 500MMBFper year in 1937 ta l,18gMMBF pep, year in 19~3 to 211 MMBFin. 1994; (as prescribed under the NarthwestFaresfPlan). · The O&r<::l,andsActpravided that 50 percent .of revenues fram the sale of O&~ timber was ta be distributed amang the 18 0&<:: counties. An additiana.125 percent .of tl).e revenues was ta be distributed ta theO&C caunties after the U.s, Department of the Treasury was reimbursed for maneyadyanced.tawake payments, in lieu .of ,.. taxes, priar to 1937. Tbeflast 25 percent was ta be paid into the FederalTreasury (ta be available upan apprapriatian)by <::angressta administer 0&<:: lantis. l. ll.'Ilil1IiIi ~ !l" iF iiif.___ ... a · Initially the plowback monies were used almost exclusively for road construction, providing access to both federal and private lands for timber management. In 1955, other uses, such as reforestation and young stanci management/began to occur through utilization of these dollars. The O&C counties viewed this as an investment in order to secure future timber sale revenues. · The plowback fund existed from 1953 to 1981, resulting in over $340 million 'being" contributed" by the counties to the management of O&C lands. · In 1982, Congress made. the O&C appropriation a direct appropriation to BLM. Under this approacq,50 percent of the total timber receipts are transferred to the U.S. Department of the Treasury as reimbursement for all or part of the ciirect O&C appropriation. . As controversy iI}creased over the harvest ofpu"blic timber in the Northwest in the late 1980s, Congress recognized that the potential reduction in timber sale volume and revenues associated with the controv~r~y would cause extreme financial uncertainty for the O&C counties. · To stabilize payments to the O&C counties, appropriations language in 1991, 1992, and 1993 included provisions for a "floor" payment to theO&C counties. The "floor" was equal to the annual aveiilge payments covering the five yeaJ;' period between 1986 to 1990. · In 1994, the Northwest Forest Plan was established to provide a stable supply of timber and protection of fish and wildlife habitat for 22.1 million acres of Federal forest in western Oregon, westerr Wasqinglor, and northern California (2.7 million acres of BLM-administered forests). m · Since 2000, payments to O&C counties have been legislated tInder the Secure ,.. Rural Schools and. Community Self- DeterminatioI}Act (Public Law 106-393). In addition to payments to counties, the Act call~df6r the establishment t., of Resource ~civisory Committees tq giv~'lo~~!, cit!:~~1J.~iiClforum for ., .. . dl' . !~col11mendi!lg.Qn..the,-ground projects ~uch as ciJ-Iverfreplacement, stream restoration,anci noxious weed control !:li... ", .........}i'..",.;". " ".,' .to'.oenefit,O&Clantis. . I!>~'. J> " II: i1' J3-qre(lU 'ol!JJajrdManagemellt~ "'333S.W. lstAvenue . , , ill .*p~rt!end, Oregon 972Q4 ~1)oje~tLeader, Dick Prather, (503)808-6627, dick_prather@or.blm.gov ~.Rub1ic,Involvement Coordinator, Alan Hoffmeister,(503) 808-6629, alan_hoffmeister@or.blm.gov ~li ;l r ~~ A;TACf.[M~NT 3 - P~~E 2 - J ~ '"':i"""